[ Reviewed by: Jay ] - [ Date: Thursday, 1st February, 2001 ]

 

Ummmm... the short form of the review is "Superb!" Want more words? OK, "Absolutely Superb!" Those of you who just want to see the bottom line, who always read the end of novels before reading the beginning and middle, can now do that download and begin playing. As for the rest of you who would like a leeetle teeeny bit more detail behind The Resident SPQ2 Fiend's pronouncement...

 

Disclaimer/disclosure: I playtested this map, as mentioned in the news item that probably got you here. While I do not believe that this leads me to excessive or even any significant prejudice in its favor, you may wish to keep this fact in mind, at least until you can play it and judge for yourself.

It's been quite a while since The Fiend has been so immersed in a map, so much at the edge of his seat. The first, last, and greatest impression left is one of suspense. "What foul monsters are waiting just around the corner to eat my face? Oh, I see. Now where can I get a new face?..." Shaun Ross somehow manages to grab you by the eyeballs and never let go. While The FIend is normally something of a sneak, he found himself positively oozing around corners, trying to look in all directions at once, ears cranked up on high gain, just waiting to get hammered. What is it about the map that does this? The Fiend is not really sure, to be honest, but it has to be a combination of factors.

 

First of all, if you have not read the story, go do so now. It really sets the stage well, and also provides a real warning for you: enemies will appear in areas you thought were cleared. Kona is nasty, mean, and cruel, but he is not totally unfair: the appearance is accompanied both by a noise and a visual effect. You may recognize the noise from DAV's Strogg Towers and Teleportation System Complex. You will surely grow to hate this noise... This use of (virtual) teleporters allows Kona to play games with monster placement that will guarantee that even the best players will take damage regularly. In all fairness, health is quite adequate - though it never feels excessive - so aside from getting killed out with great regularity, you can get through the map OK. In fact, the F1 computer pretty well sums it up: your immediate task, all through, is "...survive...".

 

The rest of the architecture and environment supports this feeling of impending doom quite well. There are lots of dull reds, greys, and blues. The castle formation is not quite as rounded and flowing as with Mel Soaring 5: Ancient Rigby, but it still has an unearthly flavor to it, as is appropriate for the stage set by the story. (No, I'm not going to repeat the story here; go read it for yourself!) I could not find any visual flaws anywhere. If they exist, they are too subtle for The Fiend. I never noticed any slowdowns at all, though I admit I did not test R-speeds. The layout is decidedly odd, in that things twist and turn, transitioning frequently between upper floor and what turns out to be the ground floor. Doors do not always open initially, but eventually will do so later. There are only two doors that require keys; the opening of the rest appears to be related to the action and progression in general. Every once in a while, you will go through a door and think, "...Oh, I've been here before from the other side. So that's where that door led to..." Game flow starts out pretty linear, and in fact overall remains fairly so, but Kona frequently provided different (fairly short) passages around to the same room, so it does not feel linear at all. There are three secrets, and none of them are needed, but the last one is decidedly helpful in the end game. (Should I mention the Invulnerability? Naaah, you'll find out about it for yourself. Kona is NASTY!...)

 

Gameplay is outstanding. The new enemies are tough, particularly the laser guards and the ones with the blue ray and the boomerang Ion Rippers. The enhanced Gladiators with the shield and the Phalanx Particle Cannon are incredibly tough, especially since the Cannon is essentially a single-hit killer. (Paradoxically enough, the Blaster really is the best weapon against these beasts. Just lure it into an open area, and circle-strafe it until it goes down. That is, of course, if you can find an open area, and if there is only one of them...) The Iron Maidens come with heat-seeking missiles, and it is a real surprise to see that thing go curving around as you are dodging - just before you get nailed. The Brains, though, are probably the nastiest. I'll save the description to keep you in suspense. Monster placement is excellent, and with the teleporter effects, serves to heighten the suspense. Though it has two levels, it is really the main level (143 enemies on Medium Skill) and the end game (less than 10 enemies).

 

The best part of the map, though, at least by implication, is the final frame, which contains the words "To be continued..." The Fiend is tempted to buy a ticket to New Zealand just to stand over Kona and drool and gnash fangs until Kona creates a successor map - in SPQ2, of course...

 

In the interest of space, and getting you playing, I am going to stop here with a summary note: this one may end up being the best map of 2001. At the moment it is one of my five favorite SPQ2 maps of all time. At 5MB, it is an incredible bargain. After you've played it, go tell Shaun "Kona" Ross how much you enjoyed it.